Some components, such as piping that may be part of a pipeline, building, plant machinery, ship, or other structures and devices, are assembled, repaired, or reconditioned in place due to their size, location, accessibility, or the like. Such processes typically include cutting off pipes, preparing pipe joints for welding, and forming welds at piping junctures. One method of cutting off pipes is to use a cutting tool mounted to a “clamshell”. Clamshells are portable pipe lathes that are connected to the outside of the pipe in which the cutting tool moves around the outside perimeter of the pipe to cut the outside of the pipe. The cutting tool can also be advanced radially relative to the pipe as it moves around the outside perimeter of the pipe.
Despite the cutting tool's ability to translate radially relative to the pipe, clamshell modules that support cutting tools are not typically easy to otherwise adjust once connected to the piping structure. That is, the cutting tool is usually connected to the clamshell by a set of fasteners that extend through a base that translatably supports the cutting tool. If the base is to be repositioned relative to the clamshell, e.g., to provide a different range over which the cutting tool translates, the set of fasteners needs to be completely detached from the base and the clamshell and subsequently replaced. This can be especially problematic when operating on pipes in nuclear reactors because maintenance personnel may only work in radioactively “hot” areas for extremely short time periods. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a clamshell lathe tool support module in which one or more adjustments can be made in a minimal amount of time.
Moreover, previous cutting tool support modules are typically constructed so that replacement or repair of relatively small parts requires replacement or overhaul of a significant portion of the device. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a clamshell lathe tool support module in which one or more components can be removed and replaced with relative ease.
What is needed in the art is an apparatus for machining an exterior surface of a component, particularly piping, that addresses one or more of the drawbacks of previous clamshell lathes described above.